Bone
Spavin in the Horse's Hock - definition and treatment
A horse's hocks are put under
a lot of strain
Definition: Bone spavin is the development of
arthritic or degenerative changes - creating bony growth - within
the three relatively immobile lower joints of a horse's
hock.
It is a common cause of lameness in the hind
leg of a horse - although usually worse in one hind leg, both
are normally affected.
A Bone spavin has a gradual onset and can affect any type of
horse or pony during its adult
life.
Its incidence seems to bear little relation to the amount or
type of work that a horse or pony does.
The three joints in the horse's hock that are affected are the
articulation of the cannon bone with the hock joint
and with the bones within the lower part of the
hock joint itself.
The type of changes that can occur are cartilage degeneration,
bone destruction and changes within the joint capsules around
the bones of these equine joints.
The degree to which these changes occur varies dramatically from
horse to horse. Some will have large destructive lesions that
affect all three lower joints of the hock, whilst others have
small spurs of bone that form along the joint edges.
The rate of progression of these changes can also vary. Some
horses will suffer rapid degeneration in their joints whilst in
others the condition will remain static after the initial onset
of arthritic changes are detected.
X-Rays usually reveal the type of bone spavin that a horse is
suffering from, and an equine veterinary surgeon
will be able to advise on the prognosis for a particular horse
Treatment of Bone Spavins in Horses
Changes to the lower hock joint caused by bone spavins
are mostly irreversible. But it is possible to manage the condition
and slow the progression of the disease, give pain relief, and
as a result control the lameness.
The common veterinary treatment involves allowing
the horse to carry on working under the influence of equine anti-inflammatory
pain killing drugs such as phenylbutazone (bute)
- provided that the pain relief drugs are effective and the horse
is not in pain or lame.
The horse's workload may have to be reduced for this method to
succeed, and the horse or pony may not be able to continue in
his chosen career - but most horses respond very
well to this treatment of bone spavin
and can certainly become sound enough to enjoy rides out across
the countryside.
Another method of treatment involves the intra-articular injection
of corticosteroids or hyaluronic acid into the
affected joints.
Another options are usually surgical -involving
fusion of the affected joints - this is known as surgical arthrodesis
- which aims to stabilise and as a result remove inflammation
and pain form the joints. This involves drilling out the joint
surfaces to destroy the cartilage that covers them which stimulates
the underlying bone to fuse together as one solid area of bone.
A good farrier can greatly assist the management
and care of a horse suffering with bone spavin.
Shoes that are most useful for horses with bone spavins include
shoes that help breakover - with a rolled or square toe, or with
wedge pads. Some farriers will use horseshoes with heel support
- for example egg bar shoes.
Many horse owners have had success with feeding joint
supplements and natural pain relief supplements such as Devil's
Claw |
